The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Online games spell trouble for Swiss gambling addicts

When it comes to gambling, nearly 3% of the Swiss population is either addicted or at risk of addiction. 

That was the finding of a study commissioned by the Federal Gaming CommissionExternal link and the Swiss Lottery and Betting Board (Comlot)External link.

On behalf of the two committees, the Swiss Institute for Addiction and Health ResearchExternal link analysed the data on gambling in 2017 and compared it with the data for 2012.

“It is important to have this kind of analysis with the new law on gambling coming into force on January 1,” Manuel Richard of Comlot stressed at a press conference in Bern on Tuesday.

Out of 18,832 respondents, 69% said they had gambled at some point in their lives. In 2012, it was 70.6%.  Just over half (55%) said they had played in 2017.

Lottery most popular

The most popular games were Swiss lotteries (48.2%), followed by bingo or other private games (14.3%), table games (8.6%), vending machines and slot machines operated in Swiss casinos (6.7%), gaming rooms and casinos abroad and foreign lotteries (5.7% in total), Swiss sports betting (4.5%) and gambling with international online operators (2.3%).

The share of regular players has fallen in recent years: 18% in 2007, 16.9% in 2012 and 16.4% in 2017. Two years ago, most players invested small amounts, with 44.1% wagering less than CHF10 ($10.06) a month and 39% CHF10-99.

In 2017, 2.8% of respondents were “at risk” and 0.2% showed pathological addiction levels. This is especially so with online games offered by international operators (22.1%), while the ratio for other types of games ranges from 2.9% to 14.3%.

More


Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

30-year-old charged with drone flight at Women's European Championships

More

Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025

This content was published on A man flew a drone around the venue on Wednesday evening during the first match of the Women's EURO 2025 in St. Gallen. The 30-year-old violated the absolute ban on flying during match days. He was reported to the police.

Read more: Man charged with flying drone at women’s Euro 2025
257 Swiss companies are members of the SBTi

More

More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative

This content was published on A total of 257 companies from Switzerland have signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). In doing so, they are committing to CO2 reduction targets that are compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Read more: More than 250 Swiss companies sign CO2 reduction initiative
Chaka Khan 'and friends': an evening that would have pleased Quincy Jones

More

Montreux Jazz Festival honours Quincy Jones

This content was published on American artist Chaka Khan ‘and friends’ opened the 59th Montreux Jazz Festival on Friday. For over three hours, their show, dedicated to their friend and mentor Quincy Jones, thrilled the audience,

Read more: Montreux Jazz Festival honours Quincy Jones

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR